Insight Screwpine and Water Hyacinth

INSIGHT
Looking Beyond Traditions

Insight means to have a deep and accurate understanding of something or someone. As the word suggests , the visit to the screw pine
and water hyacinth cluster , gave us an insight on how a tradition evolves, the factors influencing it and how it turned out to be
product of commerce. A tradition always would have evolved through using materials that is found in an around the region. Both the
crafts are strongly related to the society and the environment. Hence “ Insight” tells the story of the craft seen through our eyes, what
we found beyond the tradition, the changes in the life of people behind the craft, the Artisans.
DOCUMENTED BY
KRISHNENDHU A K MADHURI MENON

ANNET K Y BIBITHA BABY
SEM 1 SEM 1
SEM 1 SEM 1
TEXTILE AND APPAREL TEXTILE AND APPAREL
TEXTILE AND APPAREL TEXTILE AND APPAREL
DESIGN
DESIGN DESIGN DESIGN
KSID
KSID KSID KSID
Organisation Visited:
KOTTAPURAM INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY(KIDS)
KIDS CAMPUS
N H 17, KOTTAPURAM P.O , KODUNGALLUR- 680667
THRISSUR DIST., KERALA, INDIA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to our Faculty Guide Mr. Girish P T, Executive Director, Kerala State Institute of Design,
Kollam for his guidance, support and monitoring throughout the course of this documentation.
We also take this opportunity to express our deep sense of gratitude to Mr. Manu T, Course coordinator, Faculty , KSID, Kollam for giving
us a chance to study about a traditional craft, the factors effecting it and learn about the evolution the craft the way it is.
We are obliged to the staff members of Kottapuram Integrated Development Society(KIDS) Kottapuram especially Fr. Nixon
Kattaserry,the Executive Director, KIDS for allowing us to visit the craft centers under KIDS and study about Screw pine and water
hyacinth and for the valuable information provided by them in their respective fields. We are grateful for their cooperation.
Lastly we thank almighty, our parents, brothers, sisters and friends for their constant encouragement without which this documentation
would not have been possible.
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CONTENTS
02 INTRODUCTION 42 PRODUCT RANGE FOR SCREW PINE

06 KODUNGALLUR 45 LIMITATIONS OF SCREW PINE CRAFT
46 JAWAHARLAL MEMORIAL SOCIAL WELFARE & PUBLIC
08 KOTTAPURAM COOPERATIVE CENTRE, THALAYOLAPARAMBU
10 KOTTAPURAM INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY (KIDS), 54 WATER HYACINTH
KOTTAPURAM 58 WATER HYACINTH AND ITS JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD
12 NATURAL FIBRE CRAFT 60 PROBLEMS DUE TO WATER HYACINTH
14 AMBEDKAR HASTSHILP VIKAS YOJNA (AHVY) 64 CONTROL METHODS FOR WATER HYACINTH
66 POSSIBLE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR WATER HACINTH
14 SELF HELP GROUPS
68 „KIDS‟ AND WATER HYACINTH
18 MILESTONES IN THE SCREW PINE AND WATER HYACINTH CRAFT 70 ADVANTAGES OF WATER HYACINTH
SECTOR
72 PROCESSING
20 NATURAL FIBER CRAFT RESOURCE CENTER, POYYA 77 LIMITATIONS OF WATER HYACINTH
22 VIKAS, KOTTAPURAM 77 PRODUCT RANGE FOR WATER HYACINTH
22 KUNJITHAI 78 PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF „KIDS‟
26 SCREW PINE- PANDANUS - AROUND THE WORLD 81 COMPARISON OF SCREW PINE AND WATER HYACINTH PRODUCTS
81 MARKET STUDY OF SCREW PINE PRODUCTS
28 PANDANUS IN INDIA
85 PROBLEMS FACED BY SCREW PINE AND WATER HYACINTH CRAFT
30 PANDANUS IN KERALA ARTISANS
30 SCREW PINE IN KODUNGALLUR 87 FUTURE OF THECRAFT
87 CONCLUSION
32 SCREW PINE CRAFT IN „KIDS‟
88 GLOSSARY
34 PROCESS 89 REFERENCE
01 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT - A LEARNING FROM TRADITION
Image 1 : women artisan weaving traditional screw pine mat

ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT - A LEARNING FROM TRADITION 02
INTRODUCTION
Kerala is a state known for its culture and traditions. Also Kerala
is truly a “Gods Own Country” rich in vegetation and greenery.
Always Kerala is visualized to be a place with a lot of green
coconut trees, thick vegetation and the backwaters. These reasons
have lead to utilizing the plant fibers for making handicrafts from
earlier days, many centuries ago. The Screw pine craft is a
traditional craft which forms one of the important sections of
the natural fiber craft of Kerala.
This craft started off due to the abundant availability of raw
materials. The screw pine, during earlier days were used as
fences or boundaries. The history of the craft says that the
women in the households started weaving mats out of the screw
pine which grew in their backyard and fences due to poverty they
were facing. Only the men of the house would work and the
income they got was not enough for their daily food. To help
them, women started exploring with screw pine, making bedding
mats and other household items so they do not have to buy from
Image 2 : formation of SHG groups

a market. They would save some money by doing this. The ecosystem. The stalk of the leaf is taken for making different
women used to do it during their free time, after their household products and leaves and roots are used for vermi compost and
works. As every other handicraft, this is also carried out in rural biogas production.
areas and mostly woven by women. Later they started taking it to KIDS supports these artisans from the initial stage of
the open market and selling the mats. Slowly this grew as a production i.e. from collecting raw materials to finishing the
traditional craft in the coastal areas, regions near water bodies product. The artisans have been grouped into Self Help Groups
were screw pine used to grow abundantly. to make them self reliant and to attain a sustainable income.
Now this craft exists mainly in three regions of Kerala – The main objective of this study is to understand about the
Thazhava ( in Kollam district), Kodungallor (in Thrissur District) craft and how different factors have influenced in shaping the
and Thalayolaparambu (in Ernakulam District). Even though the craft the way it is now.
demand for the craft is more, the number of artisans working in • The influence of the geographic conditions of the region on
this craft is decreasing due to number of reasons like low wages, the craft.
lack of labor, lack of availability of raw materials and so on.
The craft cluster studied here, in this document comes under the • The effect of different climatic conditions on the craft.
Kodungallur Screw pine cluster and water hyacinth artisans, both • The evolution of the craft, the changes in the life style of
the craft which are supported by the Non Government artisans now and then.
organization called Kottapuram Integrated Development Society • The change in products from traditional to contemporary
(KIDS) located at Kodungallur. KIDS is the social service center ones.
which was started by the diocese of Kottapuram. KIDS has got a • The socio political, economic, cultural and technological
number of projects which was started to support and help people influences on the craft.
to earn a sustainable income and improve their conditions. One • The current situation of the craft and the scope of this in the
of the major initiatives was to improve the conditions of the future.
screw pine artisans. KIDS has got a Natural Fiber Craft
Department which is exclusively for Screw pine and Water This document takes you through the evolution of screw pine
Hyacinth artisans. and water hyacinth craft, the ways travelled through, KIDS as
Water Hyacinth is a weed that grows widely in the water bodies an NGO helping the artisans, and the lack of labor and income
in Kerala. Also water hyacinth is environment hazardous and for the artisans which is the current situation.
badly affects the aquatic life. As Kodungallur is a town
surrounded by water bodies, one of the main occupations of this
region is fishing. The water hyacinth project was started by
KIDS in 2006, as this affected the livelihood of fishermen and the
Image 3 : Kodungallur Bhagavathi

temple
KODUNGALLUR
The screw pine craft center we visited was located at

Kodungallur. This was a small town located 35km south to
Thrissur in Kerala. Kodungallur or Cranganore was an ancient
port town surrounded by backwaters and the Arabian sea. Since
it was a busy port which was best suitable for trade, a lot of
foreign powers have influenced the place through their visits
starting with Portuguese in 15th C, followed by Dutch and
British. Kodungallur has also helped in spreading the messages
of different religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam etc. This
was the place were first Mosque was built known as Cheraman
Masjid and first church known as St. Thomas Church.
Kodungallur Bhagavathi Temple is one of the very famous
temples in Kerala known for its festivities, the time when
Kodungallur floods with pilgrims from all over Kerala. This
temple was built by Chera King Cheran Senkuttuvan.
Kodungallur was derived from the word Kodi – Linga –
Puram which means a city of crores of Shiva Lingas. Also
Kuda Kons, the Chera rulers collected revenue for the goods
coming to the nearby port from this place, which came to be
known as Kuda – Kons – uuru(place) which later turned to
Kodungallur.
Image 4 : Kottapuram backwaters

KOTTAPURAM
Kottapuram as the name suggest it means Kota(Fort) and

Puram (City or Town). Kottapuram forms an integral part
of Kodungallur, which was famous for its busy ports and
trade. Kottapuram is located at southern end of
Kodungallur. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kottapuram
which was formed in 1987 is present here.
Kottapuram is known for the Kottapuram fort which was
built by Portuguese in 1523. The fort has a long history of
different people conquering it, rise and fall of emperors for
four centuries, starting with Portuguese, then Dutch and
finally Tipu Sultan. When Travancore got the fort back
from Tipu Sultan and British, it was completely demolished
to a few walls here and there. The Kottapuram fort is
located at the mouth of river Periyar and it is about 4km
on the Kodungllur – Muthakunnam Road. An important
landmark of Kottapuram is the Kottapuram market, which
was a center of trade and has both Kerala and foreign
influences.
The market shows the combination of many cultures of the

tradesmen who came to Kerala for trade and other purposes.
Kottapuram market was a rural market which wakes up by 3am
and closes down by 3pm. There would be a lot of vendors and
traders coming from faraway places, the people would purchase
vegetables, household items, anything and everything from this
market.
Another seaport and ancient trade center in Kodungallur was
Muziris. This port has played a key role in connecting Southern
India with the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks and the Persians. The
commodities exported were mainly spices, precious stones, silk,
pearl, antimony, lead, colored textiles etc. A great flood occurred
in Periyar river in 1341, which disappeared Muziris and altered
the geographic condition of the region changing the key trade
centers to Kochi and other places.
KOTTAPURAM INTEGRATED
DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY
(KIDS),
KOTTAPURAM
Kottapuram Integrated Development Society, Kottapuram is the

social service center, a Non Government Organization(NGO)
started by The Diocese of Kottapuram when it was separated
from Archdiocese of Verapoly in 1987 under the leadership of
Rev.Dr.Fr. Francis Kallarackal, the bishop of the diocese. Since
the formation of the society, its main focus was on the
development of the community, especially the poor and
marginalized irrespective of caste, creed and religion. In the
initial stages, they had a charity approach, poverty eradication
and mostly worked in the villages.
Image 5 : Kottapuram Integrated Development Society

VISION - To establish a just and self reliant society based on • To promote collective learning and sharing of resources,
human values. dissemination of information and technology for sustainable
MISSION - Total development of every human being, especially development.
the poor and the deprived through empowerment where the There are 12 Departments under KIDS serving the society in
people live a life of their own in self-reliance with human dignity different areas of improvement of people –
and confidence and in complete harmony with nature. • Human Resource Development
KIDS, is a registered voluntary organization under the • Micro Enterprises and Macro Finance
Travancore Cochin, Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies • Natural Resource Management
Act of 1955. Its headquarters is at Kottapuram in Thrissur
District and also operating in four revenue districts, namely • Disaster Management
Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Palakkad. • Community Health
Even though KIDS started with charity approach, slowly started • Children Development
aiming at the further development of the society through • Fishermen Development
Community based organizations. From 2000, KIDS has been • Agriculture Development
striving to improve the conditions of the people through various
interventions, training classes with the expert services available • Tribal Development
to the organization. • Sayam Prabha( Department for the Elderly)
Following are the objectives of KIDS- • Natural Fiber Craft
• To promote, conduct, facilitate and coordinate developmental • Differentially abled Section Department
and social welfare activities for the poor and the needy
irrespective of caste, creed, gender or community.
NATURAL FIBRE CRAFT
• Formation and strengthening of people‟s organization for
community development.
• Empowerment of women and other weaker sections in order The Natural Fibre Craft Department, is the unit of KIDS which
to ensure their participation in community development. promote the craft in order to serve the artisans with sustainable
income. KIDS has been working towards the integral
• To conserve and regenerate natural resources for the development of the traditional artisans through promoting
sustainable development of the humanity. screw pine and water hyacinth craft by value addition.
• To establish linkages and collaborations with Government The objectives of Natural Fiber Craft Sector
bodies and other sectors for community development.
• Eco-restoration of water bodies of the area through
plantation of screw pine along the banks of rivers and canals.
Image 6 : Design development workshop of screw pine craft organized by KIDS for physically challenged
• Ensuring raw material security and its constant supply but this sector has suffered and would suffer due to lack of
through large –scale planting of screw pine. education, low wages, poor exposure to new technologies, lack of
• Management of wetlands by conversion of water hyacinth market intelligence and poor institutional framework. Ambedkar
into natural fibre for making ecofriendly items of general Hastashilp Vikas Yojana was launched in 2001-2002 which
utility. aimed at integrated development of potential handicraft clusters
• Achievement of qualitative improvement in production along with the craftsmen for their improvement and
through skill up gradation of artisans. sustainability.
• Lifting of artisans to a level of effectively making new and • Social Interventions – Community development by forming
value added products through design development. SHGs, issuing identity cards and health cards.
• Creation of an effective marketing network for the SHG • Technological Interventions – Modern tools, Design and
products. Technical Development workshops, seminars, organizing the
artisans.
• Development of a non- polluting industry using a locally • Marketing Interventions – Organizing exhibitions, Setting up
available resource e.g. screw pine, water hyacinth etc. emporia, market assessment, Entrepreneurship Development
• Provision of jobs for thousands of people without any huge program, Publicity through media, exposure tours for artisans
infrastructure. for understanding the market, products etc
• Development of screw pine and water hyacinth as an • Financial Interventions – Wage compensation for cluster
alternative to many plastic products. managers, avail loans for working capitals, Credit Guarantee
• Striving to achieve higher exports for the country. scheme, planning scheduling and monitoring.
• Working for the preservation of the cultural heritage of mat • Cluster specific Infrastructure Related Interventions – Setting
weaving by uplifting the declining craft. up of raw material bank, common facility center, setting up of
. facility centers by exporters so they could upgrade on the new
facilities ,technology etc.
AMBEDKAR HASTSHILP VIKAS YOJNA So under the AHVY , KIDS started organizing craftswomen into
(AHVY) Self Help Groups.
Handicrafts constitute a major part of the unorganized sector in

the Indian economy. This started in rural areas were women used SELF HELP GROUPS
to make handicrafts as their part time activity which later turned
to be of great demand in market over the years. Presently the
craft sector is generating employment opportunities and export Self-Help Group (SHG) is a small voluntary association of poor
people, preferably from the same socio-economic background.
They come together for the purpose of solving their common
problems through self-help and mutual help. The SHG promotes

small savings among its members. The savings are kept with a
bank. This common fund is in the name of the SHG. Usually, the
number of members in one SHG does not exceed twenty. It also
enables the members to learn to cooperate and work in a group
environment. The SHGs provide savings mechanism, which suits
the needs of the members. It also provides a cost effective
delivery mechanism for small credit to its members. The SHGs
significantly contribute to the empowerment of women.
In the year 2001, SHG for women were formed by KIDS as
women were recognized as the primary agent in the community
development initiatives. Each SHG contains 20 members. Since
1988, women were grouped into Swasraya sangams and Mahila
Mandal as a large group. Mahila Mandals is a rural women
organization which contains more than 20 members where
women get to discuss about social, political, personal, economic
and spiritual concerns. It provides a space for women to address
the issues like poverty, health etc. This helps in providing women
with security and independence through empowering them.
Understanding that developments should reach the grass root
level, these mahila mandals were further divided into SHG by
2001.
As KIDS started serving the community, they indentified that
mostly the poor people in Kodungallur were screw pine artisans.
Kodungallur was a main hub for screw pine weaving in India.
They have been very badly exploited by middlemen who used to
give loans and the interest is paid back through weaving the mats
and also there were other people who used to provide with the
raw materials and make them weave the mats, sell the mats in the
market and pay them less.
Image 7 : Book published by KIDS on the

problems of screw pine mat weavers in 1990
The artisans used to do this due to their poor conditions, in order

to at least get their daily bread and lack of education also paved
way for this. KIDS was able to identify such artisans and
organized them to form a group in 1988. They started saving one
rupee each from the income they got and finally they were able to
save some money to buy screw pine on their own. So more
women started joining the group and it was formed into a Credit
Union .The lack of funds and poor condition of the artisans
made them demand for a welfare fund from the government. This
was led by KIDS. As the number of artisans was not significantly
high, government refused to grant the fund. This led to a strike
in 1990s were the women artisans came out of their homes and
literally led a protest.
Following are the events that took place at that time.
• 1989 : Started working in Groups
• 1990 May 20 : Published a book on the financial problems
faced by screw pine weavers.
• 1991 - 92 : Groups trained to become independent, to stand on
its feet.
• 1993 Sept 17 : Submitted a memorandum and will to the Chief
Minister.
• 1997 Apr 30 : Kodungallur Taluk Office Picketing.
• 1997 May 5 : Resubmitting the Petition to the Chief Minister
• 1999 Jul 13 -14 : Jeep Strike from Valappad to Kara ( places in
Thrissur District)
This took place at a time when rural women never used to come
out of their homes and it was a more patriarchal society. The
Demand for the welfare fund was granted in 2000.
Image 8 : dried screw pine rolls

Image 9 : Muziris Sales Emporium, Kottapuram

MILESTONES IN THE SCREW PINE AND - Identity cards were issued to the screw pine weavers under
WATER HYACINTH CRAFT SECTOR Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. This helped to give
the artisan an identity, their craft was also promoted.
Over the years this craft has grown into a much larger area, - Attended exhibitions in Prime locations of the country like
with the support of KIDS the artisans were able to achieve self New Delhi, Mumbai etc, which attracted a lot of buyers for
reliance and has become an integral part of the society and its natural fiber cluster as screw pine and water hyacinth craft is
development. Following are a few achievements which made the only seen in Kerala.
artisans, the screw pine craft and society linked. – Inaugurated the Common Working Facility Centre for
- Under the AHVY scheme, a number of training classes and Natural Fiber Craft at Poyya, Kodungallur which would
Design workshops were given to women artisans regarding new provide the artisans with a more relaxed and spacious work place
designs, marketing etc. Women selected from different SHGs were they could interact with much larger crowd from the same
were given classes from the initial stage of processing the field they are working. This centre also includes a Dyeing and
material to final product making. The group also included Drying unit with all facilities and an Effluent Treatment Plant
members of SHG who were not well versed with all the which is always necessary in order to keep the environment less
processes. These artisans were given inputs on each and every polluted.
detail while doing the craft and easier steps if any. - Scholarships were given to High School Children of the
- Designers from India‟s Best institutes like National Institute artisans for their academic excellence. Lack of education was a
of Design(NID)Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Craft and major drawback seen in the artisans which mostly leads to their
Design (IICD)Jaipur used to conduct the design workshops. exploitation . So education plays an important role in the shaping
Now the Natural Fiber Craft Sector has 200 artisans in total. of a person‟s life.
- A Sales Emporium was started in order to market the goods - Health Cards were also distributed which helped them to avail
produced by the artisans. Initially the emporium was for treatment free of cost from selected hospitals.
showcasing the artisan‟s works. After sometime, a sales section - Exemption of Screw pine products from Sales Tax – Earlier
was also formed. The Emporia was inaugurated by Mr. P.H. the artisans used to pay 8% tax on screw pine products. The
Kurian IAS, Department of Industries and Commerce, exemption of Tax has led to an increase in the sales and export
Government of Kerala. of these products.
- Training classes were given to Kumari Sanghams, a group of - The screw pine crafts of Kerala were registered under
adolescent girls on water hyacinth and the process and making Geographical Indication Registry. A Geographical Indication is
of the product. This was carried out under the ICDS used for product which has a specific geographical origin and has
(Integrated Child Development Services) program ,Government properties due to the climatic conditions or uniqueness due to the
of Kerala. . characteristic of that place. The registration also helps in
boosting the exports and economic conditions of the poor
artisans.
Image 9 : Craft Based Resource Centre for Natural Fibre Craft, Poyya
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT - LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONS 20
NATURAL FIBER CRAFT RESOURCE KIDS serves as a platform for a group of artisans to come and
work together and they are trained to do the process from raw
CENTER, POYYA material collection up to the effective marketing of product in a
The aim of the natural fiber craft resource center is the self sustainable manner. The working atmosphere is very calm
promotion of the craft so as to serve hundreds of artisans with and pleasant, so artisan can work creatively. The Quality,
a sustainable income. KIDS organized the women into SHGs Quantity and Time are the important factors that affect the
and further into clusters. Under the Development Commission screw pine craft. Good quality goods should be produced very
Handicraft, Ministry of Textiles, KIDS trained artisans for carefully with a lot of care and delivered in the specific time.
their development and attaining a sustainable income. In During the time of orders from customers, they divide the work
recognition of the achievements made by KIDS, they were among themselves and do it .
awarded the first Natural Fibre Craft Resource Center as part All the raw materials collected from different centers, are
of the Eleventh Five Year Plan of the country. The objectives brought to Poyya for Dyeing and again taken back to other
of the Resource Center – places for weaving .This comes back here as finished mats and
To create an institutional mechanism and to provide a single are then used for product making.
window solution in an identified craft for comprehensives CONFERENCE HALL
handholding in the following aspects –
The conference hall is well furnished, chairs made with cane and
-Technical and Technological Information interior is done with soft variety screw pine which is found in
-Market intelligence thazhava.
-Enterprise Development CRAFT MUSEUM
-Microfinance activity A craft Museum was set up in the Natural Fibre Craft Resource
-Reporting/ Monitoring or Evaluation/ Experience share Center in the year 2009. The museum consists of various
-Product Information products made of different natural fibers like screw pine ,
banana fiber, bamboo, cane, Kora grass, straw, jute etc. Most of
-Raw material Information
the products present there are made by the artisans as part of
Who ever is interested in knowing more about the screw pine or the training classes they attended.
water hyacinth craft can visit the place, and study about it.
The Resource center consists of a Dyeing and Drying Unit,
Effluent Treatment Plant, Product Making Section, A Godown
to store raw materials, A Craft Museum, a Conference Hall and
a small Library.
21 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT - LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONS
Image 10 : Craft Museum

EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT (ETP)

After dyeing the effluent water need to be treated as per
international criteria in order to maintain environmental safety.
The water after dyeing is passed into a primary collection tank.
This water is continuously agitated and made to undergo
primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. This water is passed
through a sand filter and charcoal filter and finally it will
undergo the most sophisticated process of reverse osmosis (RO).
The water after all the treatment can be used for irrigation after
the periodical checking of Total Dissolved Solid (TDS). The
same water, if necessary can also be used for dyeing so that water
can be completely recycled.
Few of the other centers visited were the following –
VIKAS , KOTTAPURAM Image 11 : Dyeing Unit, Poyya
VIKAS is a unit of KIDS, it has got 8 artisans working under
them. They do Screw pine weaving and product making. As
everyone knows weaving and product making, there is no
partition in job. The workers are experts in their work and each
of them have ten to twelve years of experience. All the artisans
are women who live in the nearby places.
KUNJITHAI
Here they concentrate mainly on water hyacinth products.
Production started in Kunjithai in 2008. Total seven workers are
there having 8 -10 years of experience. 13 looms and 4 stitching
machines were there in which only 3 looms and one stitching
machine are being used. The artisans go for Rural employment
schemes as they are not being paid well in the craft. There is a Image 12 : Effluent Treatment
lack of interest for the artisans to work. Plant
Image 13 : Artisan preparing the dyed screw pine leaves for mat weaving , VIKAS
Image 14 : artisan weaving water hyacinth mat in handloom, Kunjithai

25
Image 15 : Pandanus Tectorius seen in Hawaii

SCREW PINE
PANDANUS - AROUND THE WORLD
Screw pine is a plant which comes under Pandanus genus. The

word Pandan is derived from an Indonesian name of a tree
called Pandan, commonly known as screw pine and comes under
pandanaceae family. It is a monocot[1] plant with 750 accepted
species, it is an old native shrub adapted to tropic and sub tropic
regions. The leaf arrangement of the plant is like the threading
of a screw, hence the name screw pine. The leaves have thorns
on the sides and midrib and are very flexible. The screw pine
leaf is not water absorbent. Screw pine has the capacity to hold
the soil tight and prevent the region from soil erosion. The root
system is fibrous and holds the fine alluvial soil. Screw pine is
mostly seen near the water bodies and marshy regions. They are
dioecious[2] plants, the flower of male tree are 2-3cm long and
fragrant, surrounded by narrow, white bracts[3] and the fruit is
similar to pineapple.
There are so many pandanus species all around the world and
its leaves are used for handicrafts purposes. Only the mature
leaves are used for craft making so that the plant can naturally
regenerate without destroying the plant completely.
Image 16 : Pandanus Amaryllifolius Image 17 : Kaithapoo

Few Pandanus Varieties used for different purposes branching spikes, each spike being enclosed in a narrow, pointed
around the world white leaf while the female flower grows in dense solitary
clusters and are also enclosed in white leaves. The plants bear
• Pandanus amarylliofolius – leaves are used in southeast
flowers in the month of June. From each cluster of female
Asian cooking to give aroma to rice.
flowers, numerous minute fruits, oblong or spherical, yellow or
• Pandanus tectorius – fruit is used for preparing jams and orange arises which ripens in the following hot season. In Odisha,
other food items in Hawaii. people cultivate screw pine for preparing perfumes out of its
• Pandanus odorifer – flower is used for perfumes, incense flower. Some species of screw pine have yellow flowers while
sticks etc. some are whitish yellow in color and is called suvarna kethaki.
• Pandanus kaitha – used for Ayurvedic medicinal MYTH ABOUT KETAKI FLOWER
preparations. The flowers of Ketaki is assumed to have special significance in
• All Pandanus leaves are used for crafts. Indian culture. The flowers have a good fragrance and are even
• In Sri Lanka Pandanus leaves are a major ingredient used in used for making aromatic oils and perfumes, but they are not used
the country’s cuisine, it is known as rampe in Sinhalese as offerings for Gods. The interesting mythological story in
language. the Shiva Purana is as follows –
• Kewra an extract distilled from the pandanus flower is used “At the beginning of time in
to flavor drinks and desserts in Indian cuisine. Cosmos, Vishnu and Brahma approached a huge Shiva linga and
set out to find its beginning and end. Vishnu advanced to seek the
PANDANUS IN INDIA
end and Brahma the beginning. Taking the form of a boar,
Screw pine is an evergreen tall shrub or small tree up to 6 m Vishnu began digging downwards into the earth, while Brahma
height, with a smooth light brown stem that is usually much took the form of a swan and began flying upwards. However,
branched and supported by a number of stiff aerial roots. These neither could find his appointed destination. Vishnu, satisfied,
trees form dense and thicker in tidal forests, in the coastal area of came up to Shiva and bowed down to him as a swarupa of
India. The leaves are grayish green, hard and leathery. The Brahman. Brahma did not give up so easily. As he was going up,
minute flowers are unisexual and found on separate trees of the he saw a ketaki flower, dear to Shiva, floating down. Ketaki told
screw pine. The inflorescences of the male plant are spadices[4] Brahma that she had been placed at the top of the Shiva linga.
which grow in the form of densely arranged bunch of flowers. Brahma's ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness
At the end of the bunches, are masses of stamen[5] arranged in about Brahma’s discovery of Shiva's beginning. When Brahma
told his tale, Shiva, the all-knowing, was angered by the former's
Image 18 : screw pine seen in Kodungallur

ego. Shiva thus cursed him that no being in the three worlds will SCREW PINE IN KODUNGALLUR
worship him. The flower of Ketaki, for bearing false witness, was
According to the geographical condition of kodungallur, there
cursed to be never used for the worship of Shiva.”
are so many backwaters which make the place suitable for screw
PANDANUS IN KERALA pine growth. Screw pine mat weaving is one of the oldest craft
Screw pine is called “Thazha” in malayalam. In ancient times, practiced by the women in Kerala, especially in kottappuram. The
people used to plant screw pine along the borders of their screw pine variety seen in kodungallur is the one which is tall and
property so that it gives security as the long leaf has thorns on having thick leaves.
three angles. The root of the plant gives it the ability to protect DESCRIPTION
banks of water bodies from erosion by enhancing the water
The screw pine is mainly characterized by the presence of long
holding capacity of the soil. The tradition of screw pine weaving
narrow sword shaped leaves which are spirally arranged. The
has a rich history; it was once a means of living for many people
arrangement of the leaves gives an impression of long, pointed
in regions like Karunagappally, Kodungallur and
effects, which gives it the name screw pine. The plant has fibrous
Thalayolaparambu. The women in this region mastered the art
stem and long leaves. The plant grows up to a maximum height
of screw pine mat weaving. Then they started to sell the mats in
of 6 m. The mature leaves are dark green in color and grow up to
the markets. Many lived their lives with the help of this craft.
2-3 m in length and 2-3 inches in width. Leaves are thick,
Also it was a tradition to buy screw pine mats for wedding and on
leathery, flexible and water repellent. Thorns are present in both
the arrival of a newborn. In the middle Ages, Kerala sailors used
the sides and midrib of the leaf. It has fibrous stem and thicker
the screw pine mats extensively.
prop root. A screw-pine plant resembles the foliage of a palm tree
Different varieties of screw pine can be seen in Kerala. One is but its leaves are soft and fibrous, protected by small, sharp
pookaitha which is tall and having thick leaves, also known as thorns on both edges.
Aanu thazha. This variety can be seen mainly in regions like
Thazhava, Kodungallur, Thalayolaparambu and Alappuzha. USES:
Another variety is short and having soft leaves, known as Pennu The plant is reported to be aromatic, antiseptic, aphrodisia[6],
kaitha. Third one is thorn less and one more variety which is carminative[7], Abortifacient[8], good for eye diseases, it
known as biriyanikaitha, which has very good aromatic property strengthen the heart and liver and also improve the complexion
and are added to dishes for flavor. of hair.
Ayurvedic property of kaitha:
Screw pine is used in the preparation of trriphaladi thailam.
“Triphaladi Thailam:
Triphaladi Thailam is Ayurvedic oil. It is used in the treatment
of headache, hair fall, grey hairs and sinusitis. It is used for all
diseases pertaining to neck, eyes, ear and throat. It is used for
external application. This oil is based on Kerala Ayurvedic
practice.
Ingredients:
341.33 grams of each of: Haritaki – Terminalia chebula,
Vibhitaki – Terminalia bellirica, Amla – Emblica officinalis,
Amrutavalli – Tinospora cordifolia, Ketaki – Pandanus tectorius,
Asanaka– Pterocarpus marsupium, Bala – Sida cordifolia, Eranda
Image 20 : screw pine leaf in which sword shape
– Castor – Ricinus communis, Indravalli – Citrullus colocynthis,
and air gaps are visible
water for decoction – 12.288 liters, boiled and reduced to 3.072
liters, Tekaraja swarsa – Juice extract / decoction of Eclipta alba,
Hatha swarasa – Amla juice extract – Emblica officinalis, Taila –
Sesame oil / Coconut oil. If it is made with coconut oil base, it is
called Triphaladi Keratailam, Ksheera – cow milk – 1.536 liters
Manufacturers – Arya Vaidya Sala – Kottakkal”
Image 19 : screw pine roots Image 21 : spiral screw shaped arrangement of

the plant
31
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT – LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONS 32
SCREW PINE CRAFT IN KIDS
Screw pine mat weaving is an ancient craft. KIDS brought

together these weavers and formed Self Help Group’s. Under
AHVY scheme, in 2001 KIDS organized training classes for
women. These classes were mainly focused on the screw pine
craft. Through these training classes the weavers started screw
pine craft. Screw pine cluster was organized in poyya panchayath.
In natural fiber craft resource centre, Poyya there are 12 workers,
out of which 9 workers are for product making and 3 workers are
for dyeing. The artisans here have more than 10 years of
experience and are skilled. Most of them working here knew
Screw pine craft as they used to do it at their homes and some of
them are trained artisans. Poyya centre is for dyeing and product
making. The waste water from the dyeing unit is treated in
effluent treatment tank..
6
4
Image 22 : Tools used in product making

TOOLS PROCESS
Screw pine craft is mainly done manually by hands. Other than Following are the steps followed in the processing -
sewing machine they use some tools for the craft. 1. Collection of leaves
1. SPLICER - To split the leaves into small strips of widths - The leaves are collected from in and around Kodungallur, these
0.25cm, 0.5cm, 1cm and 1.5cm. It is a piece of wood on which 3 are collected through SHGs. In the year 2009, when natural fibre
blades are fixed at equal intervals. While splicing a leaf , four year was celebrated, KIDS had asked the SHGs to plant screw
uniform strips of screw pine are cut. pine samplings (four to five) and grow them and get yield out of
2. NEEDLE – To sew the edges of the products. The screw pine it. This was used as a way to promote the screw pine and also
is sliced into very thin strips of 0.25cm. The stitch is made ensured that there would be no shortage of raw materials. 8-9
through the edges with a long needle in order to finish the edges. leaves can be collected from a matured plant. The leaves are
3. PUNCH - To fold the mat while making products into collected twice in a year.
different shapes. It is basically a weight which is used to press the 2. Removing thorns
folding of the mat and so that it retains that shape while Thorn removing is the hardest process in screw pine mat
stitching two pieces together. weaving. The thorns are removed from the edges and midrib of
4. TRACING WHEEL - To make markings in order to fold the leaf. While removing the thorns, one third would be lost in
accordingly. It is small wheel attached to a handle with multiple the process. Previously coconut fibers were used for removing
teeth on the wheel. The tracing wheel is run through the line thorns, now they are using nylon fiber and also knife to remove
which should be creased and is folded with the help of punch. thorns.
The main purpose of using these tools is that the screw pine 3. Rolling
would be stiff and rough, so there is a chance of breakage due to The thorn removed leaves are rolled into a hexagonal shape and
the stiffness. So to avoid this, it is first creased with tracing wheel are dried under sunlight for one week. A circular shape would
and folded and pressed with the help of punch. make the screw pine leaf curl up. The hexagonal shape when
5. KNIFE – Knife is used to remove the thorns from the edges unrolled would be straight enough as the strip used for weaving
and midrib of the leaf. It has a sharp edge attached to a handle. should be straight. Each roll is called a “Madi” and its weight
6. SCISSORS – to cut the woven mat according to different varies from 600g to 1.5kg. A number of leaves are rolled
product sizes. together, one after the other. The time required for drying
depend mainly on climatic conditions. So the madi is always dried
during summer and stored in the godown for using it during
rainy season.
35 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / INSIGHT – LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONS
Image 23 : collection of leaves Image 26 : hexagonal rolls called “madi”
Image 24 : thorn
Image 25 : rolling Image 27 : slicing
removing
4. Slicing
After drying , the madi is opened, the leaves are weighed and are
sliced into strips called “poli”. The strips are taken to the dyeing
unit and weighed according to the quantity to be colored. The
leaves are sliced into smaller strips for better absorption of dyes
as dyes remain only on the surface does not penetrate inside the
screw pine.
5.Dyeing
The dyeing unit of KIDS is in Poyya. Now they are using water
based basic dyes. Natural dyes like mehandi, kasthuri manjal,
kadukka etc. were used but there were some drawbacks in using
natural dyes. Natural dyes are safe but it is a time consuming
process and the color will not be even. Color fastness is also Image 28 : Dye bath
another problem. As a result they stopped using natural dyes.
The dyeing unit in Poyya, has three dyeing vessels of capacities
5kg (two baths) and 10kg. 100 kg - 120kg is dyed in day in the
unit. For dyeing 10 kg of leaves, 400 L of water and 200g
(approx.) of dye is required. First step of dyeing is boiling screw
pine in water in the dye bath. This is done for 30 minutes. This
makes the screw pine leaves soft and opens the pores so that the
color adsorption property of the leaves increases. After 30
minutes, the required amount of dye is added to it. Again it is
boiled for 30 minutes. The leaves are stirred well so that the color
gets evenly distributed. After boiling, the leaves are transferred
to a tank and are washed well in normal cold water. These leaves
are dried in sunlight. These are send to different units for
weaving mats.
There are mainly 9 colors. Different dyes are mixed for getting
particular colors. According to the shade of the color required, Image 29 : Dyed screw
the amount of dye also varies. Dyeing gives a shining effect to pine strips
9 basic dyes:
Crysodine RAW SCREW PINE
Rhodamine
Auromine
Magenta METHYL VIOLET
Bismark brown
Methyl violet
Methylene blue BISMARK BROWN
Malechyte Green
Coir blue
RHODAMINE
Mixing of dyes:
Crysodine – orange
Rhodamine – pink
Auromine + crysodine + rhodamine – red MAJENTA
Magenta – magenta
Auromine + chrysodine – yellow
Bismark brown + chrysodine + auromine + methyl violet – MALECHYTE GREEN
brown
Rhodamine + methylene blue – purple
METHYLENE BLUE
Step 6 – weaving
Mats are woven in Vikas and other units of KIDS. There are 8
workers in Vikas who are well experienced with the screw pine
craft. It is an up and down plain weave. The weaving is started
by placing 4 warp strips. The weavers hold these strips with AUROMINE
their legs. Alternate warps are folded in the opposite direction
and a weft is placed above the not folded ones. They utilize both
hands and legs for weaving and holding the mat. Again the
folded strips are opened and other alternate strips are folded. COIR BLUE
Weaving progresses in the diagonal direction, not at ninety
degrees with the warp. This is continued until the edge.
Image 30 : Name and color of the dyes
Image 32 : Placing Warp and Weft

strips to the weaving process
Image 31 : Straightening the screw pine

for weaving with a knife Image 33 : Placing weft strips by
folding alternate warp strips
The edges of the mat are locked by vilumbhu neyyal. Vilumbhu

neyyal is the process of folding the warp so as to make it a weft.
It locks the ends of the mat. This makes the strands closely
packed so as to reduce the gaps. The quality of the weaving is
understood by looking how closely the weft is placed without
gaps.
Step 7 – Product making
Products are made in both Poyya and Vikas units. For making a
product like tablemat, the size (13”X 19”) is drawn on the big
woven mat. It is cut using a scissors. Then a machine stitch is
made on the outer line of the tablemat first so that the strips do
not ravel while making the product. The outline drawn with the
pencil is creased with a tracing wheel so that is easy to fold, it
doesn’t break while folding. Then the creases made are folded
with the help of punch. Two such pieces are taken and first tied
together with small thin strips of screw pine. The edges are
finally stitched with thin strip of screw pine using a needle for
the edge finishing.
For other products like coasters and boxes, a pattern is created
using cardboard. The cardboard is cut according to the
reqshape, is sandwiched in between two similar pieces to give
the shape to the product. It is difficult cut the shape from the
woven mat directly as there are chances of unraveling. After
sticking the pieces together with rubber based synthetic
adhesive the edges are finished.
Image 34 : Making Creases with a tracing wheel
for a table mat
Image 35 : Tracing out the pattern on Card board Image 36 : Cutting the pattern out
Image 37 : Adhesive spread Image 38 : Applying adhesive Image 39 : Cutting out the
on the cardboard on the mat pattern from the mat
Image 40 : Tea Coasters Image 41 : Fruit Bag

PRODUCT RANGE PRODUCT SIZE

There are a wide range of products made of Screw pine. Cushion CUSHION 40 X40 CM
FABRICATED CUSHION 40 X40 CM
is 50 x 50 cm in size, they are made by using big strips mixed
TABLE MAT RECTANGULAR 48 X33 CM
with the small ones. They experiment with colors, and mix with TABLE MAT RECTANGULAR SINGLE SIDED 48 X33 CM
other natural fibers. For cushions they have different designs and CARRY BAG H: 26 CM
color combinations. A set of place mats consists of six table mats NEWS PAPER HOLDER 60 X40CM
and six tea coasters. They have different types of bags for MAGAZINE HOLDER H: 29 CM W: 39 CM
different purposes. Market bag, cherry bag with zip, fabricated FRUIT BOX 20 X20 CM
WATER BOTTLE CARRY CASE 9X9X42 CM
bag with braided weaving with zip, hexagonal shaped bag, mini
FILE HOLDER 40X26X13 CM
bag rectangular shape, toilet bag, shopping bag, shoulder bag BREAD BOX H: 12 CM L :32CM
with flap, conference bag, vanity bag and seminar bag. File CONFERENCE BAG H :27 CM W:27CM
holders, Files, shoe boxes, laundry boxes etc. are available in MINI BAG H:26CM W:35CM
different style like dyed and plane with natural color. Laundry LETTER HOLDER H:35CM W:15.5
baskets with rounded end and flower shaped end are also WASTE PAPER BASKET H:30 CM
LAUNDRY BOX ROUNDED WITH LID H :50 CM DIA:25 CM
available. They also produce a lot of stationary product stands
SHOE BOX WITH LID 35 X 26 X20
like pen stand, letter holder, magazine holder, news paper holder SEMINAR FILE WITH ZIP H :24 CM L :30CM
and flower vase, bread box, other products are pencil case, ROUND BOX WITH LID H :20CM DIA :S15 CM
spectacle case, fruit box. Table 1 : Product and size
Image 42 : Fruit Baskets Image 43 : Tea Coasters Image 44 : Sling Bags

Image 45 : Some of the Screw pine Products

(Bags and Boxes)
Image 46 : Pen holders

LIMITATIONS OF SCREW PINE:
Customization limited: Traditionally plain weave is done and it

progresses diagonally. Customization with weaves would be
difficult as weaving is done completely manually with both hands
and legs. It would be difficult to manage the strips and needs time
to master it. Colour and weave effects are used by trying out
patterns using different colored strips of screw pine.
Fungal attack: Even though the screw pine is water repellent, the
presence of moisture generates fungus. This is in the form of
white powder. The materials like cardboard which are using for
the stiffness of products absorb moisture and generate fungus.
The screw pine which is not dyed gets hold of the fungus faster
than the colored screw pine. Proper drying is required in order to
keep it away from fungal attacks.
Temperature variations: Temperature variations affect the
screw pine strips easily. It becomes stiff and breaks when the
temperature is high. Similarly the raw materials are collected and
stored before the rainy season as there is a chance of getting
moist due to cold conditions, this effects the quality of the screw
pine product.
Colour fastness: when the products are exposed to water there is
a chance of color bleeding and fading.
Colour variation: Even though dyed using same, color of the
matured leaves and immature leaves sometimes would not be
uniform as immature leaves would absorb color faster than the
matured leaves. So the final product would have slight difference
in the screw pine strips used.
Image 47 : Fungal attack on screw pine box
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE / LOOKING BEYOND TRADITIONS 46
JAWAHARLAL MEMORIAL SOCIAL The main reason for the reduction of the number of workers is
low wages. Out of this almost everyone is going for Rural
WELFARE & PUBLIC COOPERATIVE Employment Guarantee Scheme which ensures 100 days of job
CENTRE, THALAYOLAPARAMBU and they are paid more than what they are paid for the craft.
In Kerala, screw pine craft is mainly seen in Thazhava, Technology: They have a building given by government and
Kodungallur and Thalayolaparambu. Out of this KIDS have got some machines.
(Kottapuram Integrated Development Society), Kodungallur is a Following are the machines in Thalayolaparambu.
well organized society. To study about another society, we visited Edge cutting machine : To cut the edges of mats so as to make
Jawaharlal Memorial Social Welfare & Public Cooperative Centre, them in the proper sizes.
Thalayolaparambu. This society is not as much as organized as
KIDS. Leveling machine : To avoid the curling of edges, the mats are
kept under a bar which is operated by a pulley mechanism.
Jawaharlal Memorial Social Welfare & Public Cooperation Centre
is a voluntary organization registered under Charitable Societies Dye bath : A big container with a burner under that. The
Registration Act. The Organization has been working for the temperature can b adjusted by this burner.
welfare and development of the weaker sections of the society. Splitting machine : Splitting machine is to split the screw pine
Jawaharlal Memorial Social Welfare & Public Cooperative Centre leaves into strips. 6 different measures are there in this machine.
has been selected as a Nodal Agency for the implementation of So at a time 6 leaves can be splitted into 4-6 strips. Each section
the scheme for the development of screw pine mat weaving craft with different measures.
at Vadayar village, Thalayolaparambu panchayath. As part of this Sewing machine : To stitch the edges and to join different parts
program the Jawaharlal Memorial Social Welfare & Public of the products.
Cooperative Centre conducted design development workshops. Drilling machine
The participants of the workshops were traditional screw pine Among these machines, they are using only few machines. They
artisans of the locality. The main aim of the workshops was to don’t know how to operate other machines and not even
upgrade artisans’ skill through appropriate design technology operated them. Lack of Education and knowledge effects their
intervention. production.
Workers: The screw pine craft cluster of Jawaharlal Memorial Chemical treatment: The dyed leaves are given a coating of
Social Welfare & Public Cooperation Centre consists of 10 copper sulphate or the products are covered with Vaseline. This
groups with 20 members each. Most of them are traditional helps in the reduction of fungal attack.
weavers. Earlier, training classes were conducted occasionally.
But now there are only 12 workers.
Image 48 : Production unit of Thalayolaparambu

OBSERVATIONS
Wages: Most of the artisans, of both societies have more than 10
years of experience. But the artisans of Thalayolaparambu are
getting low wages as compared to that of KIDS. An artisan earns
up to Rs.4000 in a cluster under KIDS. Wages plays an important
role in taking up a job. Many of them are leaving the craft and
engaging in other jobs.
Promotion: Like GAYA of KIDS, there is no such brand name
or trademark for the products of Thalayolaparambu. The
promotional activities of Thalayolaparambu is weak. The
artisans have lost the interest in their work.
Coordination: The main problem of Thalayolaparambu is due to
the lack of a coordinator who can co-ordinate the whole process
of product making to marketing it effectively.
Technology: Even though more machines are there in
Thalayolaparambu, they are not utilizing those machines. Most
of them don’t know how to use the machine and continue to
work without it. KIDS makes use of the sewing machine, the
other machines were not used as it was difficult for women to use.
Products: Product range is better in KIDS as compared to the
Jawaharlal society. Fewer varieties of products are present. Even
though the years of experience is similar for each of the groups,
the quality is much better for the units in KIDS.
Image 49 : Leveling machine

Image 50: Edge cutting machine Image 51 : Driling machine

Image 52 : sewing machine
Image 53 : splitting machine Image 54 : Dye bath

Image 55 : Products of Thalayolaparambu

Image 56 : mirror frame using screw pine made in Image 57 : spice box made in
Thalayolaparambu Thalayolaparambu
Image 58 : big shopper and hand bags made in Thalayolaparambu

Image 59 : water hyacinth imfestation in Kuttanad

WATER HYACINTH
Water hyacinth (Kulavaazha, Eichhornia Crassipes) belongs to

the family of Pontederiaceac and genus Eichhornia. It is an
aquatic herb floating freely on the surface of water bodies,
which is blacklisted as a notorious aquatic weed in India and
other tropical countries. Hyacinth is a very fast growing plant,
which doubles in 12 days and form impenetrable mats of
floating vegetation. The plants get its nutrients from the water
though it’s dangling roots. It can spread to cause infestation
over large areas. The Plant size varies from a few inches to a
meter in height. This plant is sensitive to cold and unable to
survive below 6.50 C. Flowering is influenced by the
temperature variations. It flowers generally in August-
September. When the flowering is over the inflorescence bends
down. Fruits containing many minute seeds are generated
under the water. It grows in mats up to 2 meters thick and
reduces the entry of sunlight and oxygen into the water. It is
believed to have been introduced in India during 1890s.
Image 60 : Leaf of a water hyacinth

Hyacinth originated in the Amazon basin and it was being

introduced to many other parts of the world as an ornamental
plant due to its beauty. It proliferated into many areas. The plant
is suitable for the climatic conditions of tropical and sub topical
regions and has become a problem. Hyacinth grows in temporary
shallow ponds, wetlands, marshes, stagnant water bodies, lakes,
reservoirs and rivers. The vegetation reproduction of the plant is
asexual and takes place at a rapid rate under suitable conditions.
These Plants can tolerate water level fluctuations and seasonal
variations in flow velocity and changes in nutrient availability,
pH, temperature and toxic substances. Water hyacinth growth is
exuberated by nutrient rich water, particularly those rich in
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The herb completes its life
cycle within one year, although it is perennial under favorable
conditions. This water weed chokes the water bodies and creates
problems for the aquatic system. Water hyacinth roots absorb
pollutants, including toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury,
strontium-90 and some organic compounds which are said to be
carcinogenic.
DESCRIPTION
“It’s beautiful, large purple flowers make it a popular ornamental
plant for ponds. Its leaves are thick, waxy, rounded, and glossy
and rise well above the water surface on stalks. They are broadly
ovate to circular, 10-20cm in diameter, with gently incurved,
often undulate sides. Leaf veins are dense, numerous, fine and
longitudinal. Leaf stalks are bulbous and spongy. The stalk is
erect, to 50cm long, and carries at the top a single spike of 8-15
showy flowers. The flowers have six petals, purplish blue or
lavender to pinkish, the uppermost petal with a yellow, blue-
bordered central splotch[9]. Its roots are purplish black and Image 61 : Flower of Water Hyacinth
Image 62 : The spongy petiole of water hyacinth

purplish black and feathery. It forms a shoot consisting of a flowers (maximum 35) with 8-15 being the most common. The
branched, stoloniferous[10] rhizome[11], 6 cm in diameter and up perianth[24] tube is 1.5-1.75cm long with a green base and pale
to 30 cm in length, with several short internodes.[12] Each top. Tepals[25] are ovate to oblong, thin, lilac and up to 4cm
node[13] bears a leaf and roots. Axillary buds, which can also long. The posterior tepal (labellum) has a central bright yellow
form stolons[14], grow at an angle of 60 degrees from the diamond-shaped region surrounded by a deep blue border with
rhizome and remain at that angle or bend upward in dense stands, bright red radiating lines. When young, this labellum has a
or become horizontal in open stands. Plants on the edge of a mat green spot. There are six stamens (sometimes 5 or 7) having
form stolon buds while those in the middle may not. Stolons are curved filaments with glandular hairs. Three are small and close
purplish violet and extend up to 50cm or more in length and are to the perianth tube. Anthers[26] are violet and measure 1.4-
highly variable in diameter. Leaves form as the axillary bud 2.2mm long. The fruit is a thin-walled capsule enclosed in a
grows, rupturing a tubular leaf-like structure called a "prophyll." relatively thick-walled hypanthium[27]developed from the
As the internodes between the first leaf and the prophyll[15] perianth tube. Mature seeds can number 450 per capsule, are 4 x
elongates, roots are produced at the node bearing the primary 1mm, with an oval base and tapering apex. The coat has 12-15
leaf. Foliage leaves are formed after. Foliage leaves are petiolate longitudinal ridges.”
with a glossy sheen, and are arranged spirally, appearing to be in (Source: James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops.
a rosette[16]. Each leaf consists of a petiole[17] , isthmus[18] Unpublished.https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/E
(between petiole and blade) and blade. The petiole bears a large ichornia_crassipes.html)
membranous stipule [19] , which forms a sheath around the next
younger leaf. Petioles are spongy and measure up to 5cm in
diameter and 30-50cm in length (maximum 125cm). They may be WATER HYACINTH AND ITS JOURNEY
elongated, swollen in the middle and tapering towards the blade AROUND THE WORLD
or they may form a bulbous float containing air-filled lacunate [20] Water hyacinth is originally from Amazon Basin in South
tissue. As much as 50% of a single water hyacinth’s biomass can America and spreaded to Africa, Asia, Australia etc due human
be roots. Roots are adventitious[21] and fibrous, 10-300cm in activities. Due to the climatic conditions in Europe, it is not
length. As many as 70 lateral roots per cm give the roots a found there. It was first found in Zimbabwe in 1937. The
feathery appearance. They are dark violet to bluish or pinkish infestation of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria in Africa was a
violet, whitish if grown in total darkness and contain soluble great problem in 1990s.This spread to West Africa. In Nigeria ,
pigments, including anthocyanins[21] that may protect the root all the water bodies were dominated with water hyacinth. In
from herbivores. Flowers are borne terminally on a lavender Asia, it has mainly invaded the fresh water wet lands, especially
spike on an elongated peduncle[23] and are subtended by two standing water. It has been detected in Sundarbans mangrove
bracts. The lower bract has a distinct blade. Each spike has 4-25 forests of Bangladesh and also Deepor Beel, a freshwater lake
Image 63 : A Woman carries water through thick water hyacinth encroaching on the banks of Lake Victoria
of Brahmaputra river is heavily infested with this weed. Water PROBLEMS

hyacinth had caused many economic, social and environmental
problems in Southern China and countries like Mexico. In Water hyacinth can cause extensive environmental, social and
California, USA, this weed had caused economic problem. This weed is mainly seen in stagnant water
ecological impact in the Sacramento – San bodies. Whenever the water flow becomes low, its growth
Joaquin Delta . increases. The domestic sewage and the residues of chemical
fertilizers reaching the water bodies though agricultural run-off
USES result in the enrichment of the aquatic system and thus boost the
In Kenya it has been experimentally used for organic fertilizer. growth of this weed.
But due to its high alkaline pH value, there occurs some “Water hyacinth has been identified by the International Union
controversy according to the effect of the fertilizer on the soil. In for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the 100 most
Kedah, Malaysia the flowers of hyacinth were used for aggressive invasive species and recognized as one of the top 10
medicating the skin of horses. In 1950s to 1970s the economy in worst weeds in the world.”
the rural areas of China had faced a great shortage of food for
animals and so they widely used this weed as animal food. After
1980s it is mainly used for feeding ducks and for the purification
of polluted water. Through an anaerobic fermentation process,
hyacinths can be converted into the natural gas methane which is
a costly process but economical as the natural gas is depleting.
Javanese in Malaysia sometimes cook and eat the green parts and
inflorescence. In Africa, fresh plants are used as cushions in
canoes. In India, the water hyacinth is fed to buffalos which are
said to exhibit 10-15% increase in milk but the milk is more
watery. Water hyacinth roots naturally absorb pollutants,
including toxic chemicals like lead, mercury, and strontium 90
and some other organic compounds which are carcinogenic.
Water hyacinth is rich in cellulose content that can be used as a
renewable source of energy and can be used for the production
of paper. In certain states of India, tribes use water hyacinth as a Image 64 : Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi,
remedy against goiter diseases. which has been greatly effected by the
prolific growth of water hyacinth
Image 65 : People navigating through backwaters filled with Water Hyacinth, in Kuttanad, Alapppuzha
The spreading of this alien species is mainly due to its bodies shallow and causes the formation of small islands where
reproductive output. It can flower throughout the year and more weeds and plants invade.
releases more than 3000 seeds per year. This seeds can live up to Water loss by evapo-transpiration: Water hyacinth cause
20 years. But this seeds are not viable at all sites, they commonly increased loss of water though evapo-transpiration when
colonizes through vegetative reproduction and through compared to open water where the plant losses the water taken in
horizontally growing stolon. The mat cuts off the entry of light by transpiration and water evaporates from the water bodies
into the water and thus reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen. through evaporation.
This affect the aquatic system and fish deaths are common in the Impact on livelihood of the fishermen: Infestation of water
areas which are infested by water hyacinth. makes the access to fishing grounds time consuming or
Impact on aquatic biodiversity: Water hyacinth absorbs large impossible. Physical interference with fishing nets makes fishing
amount of nutrients and other elements like phosphorous, difficult. There are regulators at certain rivers for checking the
nitrogen, and oxygen from water, denying this vital things to the intrusion of saline water into the inland water bodies. When the
phytoplanktons and zooplanktons. This will suppress the growth shutters of the regulators are closed, this weed gets blocked in
of the native plants and negatively affect microbes and fisheries. the upstream of the regulator and when the regulator gets open,
And as a result this causes an imbalance in the aquatic micro- the weed enters the saline water. This weed cannot survive in the
ecosystem. saline water. Thus they sink down and the decaying process is
Oxygen depletion: The dense and large water hyacinth mats very slow. When the traditional fishermen use their nets, large
prevents the entry of oxygen from the air into the water surface quantities of semi decayed weed gets into them. It destroys the
or decrease the production of oxygen by the algae. Also the fishing net and abandons fishing resulting in severe poverty. In
decomposed large amounts of this weed causes oxygen deficiency. areas where fishermen are living from their trade, this can
Dissolved oxygen levels can reach dangerously low and affect the present serious socio-economic problems. Also in areas where
fish that are sensitive to such changes. there is much water hyacinth infestation, the water becomes still
Effect on inland navigation: Water hyacinth mats are and warm and the fish disappears. In these regions crocodiles and
impossible to penetrate with country boats, which is the main snakes becomes more prevalent.
navigation in the area. This is seriously effecting on the local Breeding ground for pests and vectors: Floating mats of water
transport. hyacinth support organisms that are detrimental to human
Reduces water flow: Water hyacinth mats slows down the flow health. The ability of its fibrous, free-floating roots and semi-
of the water bodies causing suspended particles to be precipitated submerged leaves and stems to decrease water currents increases
leading to silting. These trapped silts make the water breeding habitat for the malaria causing mosquitoes. This
increases the possibility of spreading water borne diseases.
Image 66 : A launch moves through the Ashtamudi Canal,Kollam filled with water hyacinth
Impact on agriculture: Water hyacinth has a distressing method is not a big success. Chemical control is less expensive
impact on agriculture, mainly on rice cultivation. Farmers face but least ecological friendly.
enormous problems in rainy seasons. Hyacinth slows water flow Physical control: Physical methods for controlling water
by 40 to 95%, which may cause severe flooding. hyacinth involve manual removal of the weeds or pulling
CONTROL METHODS through nets. Machines like weed harvesters, crusher boats, and
destruction boats are very expensive, as well as unpractical for
Water hyacinth control is absolutely essential. There are several larger areas. These techniques require land-based vehicles for
popular control mechanisms for preventing the spread of transporting the large quantities of water hyacinth which is
hyacinth. The 3 main mechanisms used are biological, chemical removed. Manual removal of water hyacinth is suitable only for
and physical control. However, these existing methods are not extremely small areas. In some areas there is serious health risks
sufficient for the control of the weed. associated with the work due to the presence of snakes and
Biological control: Biological control is the use of controlling crocodiles.
agents which are host specific natural enemies to reduce the As all the control methods are not found to be effective, proper
population density of a pest. Several insects and fungi have been and effective utilization of the weed is highly recommended.
identified as control agents for water hyacinth. This includes a
variety of weevils, moth and pathogens. The aim of any
biological control is to reduce its abundance to a level where it is
no longer problematic. The weevils reduce its abundance by
decreasing its plant size, vegetative reproduction, flower and
seed production. Several fungal pathogens can also be used for
its control. As the weed infestation increases the biological
control becomes least effective. The main draw back with
biological control of water hyacinth is the time requirement. It
needs 4-5 years and is influenced by climatic changes.
Chemical control: Another method which has been used
worldwide to reduce water hyacinth populations is through the
use of chemical herbicides such as Paraquat, Diquat,
Glyphosate, Amitrole, 2, 4-D acid. Application can be from the
ground or from the air. But the long term use of these
chemicals may degrade water quality and put aquatic life at risk. Image 67 : Weevils, a beetle that
Considering that hectares have been invaded by the weed, this eats Water Hyacinth
Image 68 : Removing Water Hyacinth manually in Lake Victoria

POSSIBLE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS hydrocarbons in them. Instead of using cow dung and food
Compost and biogas production: The possibility of waste for biogas , he tried using water hyacinth which became a
converting water hyacinth to biogas has been an area of major huge success. It also said that economically it may not be
interest for many years. The plants grow quickly and can be viable due to the transportation cost involved.
harvested to provide compost. Water hyacinth can also be used There was another newspaper article which says about using
on the land as a green manure. After removing the plant from water hyacinths for purification of water in Chinna Kalpet,
the water it can be left to dry for a few days and is mixed with Puducherry. It is a plant based on a technology called
ash, soil and some animal manure. Microbial decomposition SHEFROL (Sheet Flow Root Level) which was designed by
breaks down the fats, lipids, proteins, sugars and starches. The Professor S.A.Abbasi from Pondicherry University, in which
mixture can be left in piles to compost, the warmer climate water hyacinth is used to absorb nutrients, pathogens and
accelerate the process and produce rich pathogen free compost microorganisms from water. The waste water and the domestic
which can be applied directly to the soil. The compost increases sewage from houses are fed to this plant. The plant consists of
soil fertility, crop yield and generally improves the quality of sand bags, sedimentation tanks and non-permeable sheet so
the soil. that the waste water does not seep to the ground. The treated
Water purification: Water hyacinth has the potential to clean water is used for irrigation.
up various contaminated waters. It can be used to treat waste
water from dairies, sugar factories, pulp and paper industries,
palm oil mills etc. The plant can absorb large quantities of
heavy metals from the water column and grows very well in
polluted water.
Household articles: The chopped water hyacinth stalks can be
used for making baskets, mats, sandals, bags, wallets, boxes, etc.
The chopped stalks are dried and cleaned. The stalks are dyed
with various colors and are used for the production of above
mentioned products. There are artisans who work on water
hyacinth in other parts of the world.
In a newspaper article in 2013, Dr. Veerababu, who based in
Thoothukudi says about water hyacinth being identified as a
potential plant for green fuel due to the presence of Image 69: Making Methane biogas with water
hyacinth
Image 70 : Water hyacinth mats

KIDS AND WATER HYACINTH
KIDS started the initiative of using water hyacinth in order to

help the society in handling a menace which can affect the
ecosystem of a region in 2006. The fishermen community in
Kodungallur was facing a big problem due to the water
hyacinths as it used to get stuck to the Chinese fishing nets and
damages it. KIDS started with the making of Vermi compost
and biogas and slowly started making use of the fibrous stalk of
the water hyacinth to make handcrafted value added products.
Chendamangalam, a small village depending on handloom for
their livelihood, the craft was at dying stage. KIDS started the
water hyacinth project in order to help the handloom weavers
and the fishermen community as a whole. New simple looms
were installed which were similar to those of handloom, and the
artisans were trained to weave on those using water hyacinth.
.
Image 71: Kuttanad Vikasana Samithy,, Alappuzha

Advantages of Using Water Hyacinth shoppers.

The large availability of raw materials - Raw materials can be There were many screw pine artisans who did not have work, as
easily collected as water hyacinth is seen in water bodies in and screw pine plants was slowly getting cleared off from those
around Kodungallur. regions. About 25 of the artisans, were trained by KVS in
Creating a sustainable Livelihood - It’s hard to control the making water hyacinth products using weaving. They started
production of water hyacinth through biological, physical or exporting these bags to Taiwan through agents. The agents
chemical methods. Using water hyacinth stalks to make products used to specify the size of the bags and the artisans used to
which give the artisans a livelihood and this helps in controlling make it. The artisans used to be paid Rs.55 for small bags (size
the growth of the weed manually. specifications were there) and Rs.75 for bigger ones. KVS doesn’t
Rejuvenating the Environment - Presence of water hyacinth take profit from that. After sometime, the artisans started
deteriorates the water, effects the aquatic life and in turn the demanding for double the charge for the products like 150
environment. Removing the water hyacinths will help in the instead of 75 because of the influence of some politicians. As
restoration of the water body and maintains the ecosystem. the deal was on contract basis that was not possible and many
When KIDS was experimenting with the water hyacinth, at the artisans left the job. Quality of the product is important for
same time Fr. Thomas Peelianickal, an environmentalist and the exporting. Slowly, the quality of weaving became poor and
Director of Kuttanadu Vikasana Samithy (KVS) located at almost 75% of the goods started getting rejected. This led to
Alappuzha was also trying different methods to make use of the the closing down of the project as there was no support from
water hyacinth which was becoming an environmental hazard. govt or other organizations for funds They made products like
Also they closed down the program while KIDS was successful in niskarapaaya used by Muslims for prayer, cushions, bags were
it. Following are the information gathered during a conversation made mixing it with other materials etc. In 2006-2007, 8 years
with the father. ago, artisans used to take 1-1.5 days to make a bedding mat and
should be paid Rs.350 per day. This was difficult to be sold in a
“Father had done some experiments with water hyacinth. It has market with such high rates and this needs to be bleached as it
fibre content in it. They removed the leaves and roots of the can get effected by fungus very soon. The pulp of water
plant, treated it with sodium meta bisulphite (inorganic hyacinth can be taken and products can be made by using the
compound, disinfectant, antioxidant, preservative etc), the results fibrous part.
were not good.
This was used in making vermi-compost. But it didn’t turn out
Process that was followed - Leaves and roots were removed, the to be a great success as the fibre part of it was difficult to get
stalk was boiled in water and dried in sun for one – one and half decomposed. It was used in growing mushroom,
days. By this process green color turns to brownish white color
(thazha color) and this was used in weaving bags like big
Image 72: seperating the stalks of water hyacinth Image 73 : Drying the stalks
Image 74 : dried stalks Image 75 : Splitting of the stalk

through which they understood that water hyacinth absorbs PROCESSING

heavy metals like cadmium, mercury etc. It grows abundantly in
The steps for making products from the stalks of water
water containing these. It also has a property of cleaning water
hyacinth are as follows:
bodies. .
1. Collection of raw materials
Tests were carried out collecting water from a source were
water hyacinth was growing. Results showed that the water was Water hyacinth plants are collected from the water bodies.
free of pollutants and it was portable water. There are Usually this is collected by manual method. These are taken
researches going on how this can be destroyed. So instead of for making different products. The water hyacinth has got a
destroying it completely it has to be controlled. When use of bulb like structure at the end of the stalk which grows and
chemical fertilizers increased in fields, the water bodies became elongates to form long stalks. The stalks would be 30 cm to
polluted, the rate of multiplying of water hyacinths increased. 45cm long.
There were projects for cleaning the water hyacinth from water 2. Cutting
bodies of Alappuzha. But those just turned out to be money The leaves and roots are removed carefully which is used for
making activities. If more and more products like handicrafts making vermi compost and biogas. The stalk is very fibrous
are made from this in a tourist spot like Alleppy and Kuttanadu, and is used for the making of different products.
people would naturally make use of the plant and it can be 3. Drying
controlled.” Almost 96% of the plant is filled with water. So as to remove
As referred to the above details, use of chemical fertilizers has a the water content this stalks are dried in sunlight for one
great effect on the growth of Water Hyacinths. It grows week. If not dried properly, this would led to deteriorating the
wealthier in a paddy field than in a water body, due to the quality of the product. The stalk is very spongy, due to this
presence of chemicals and pesticides. it has a foamy effect.
The stalks can be used for product making. Different ways are 4. soaking
there for product making, like it can be directly pasted on to a Before cleaning pith from the stalks, they are soaked in water.
cardboard or braiding them. A frame of the product can be This is to reduce the brittleness of the dried stalk. When in
made and can weave on that using water hyacinth. dry condition, it has the chance to break while removing the
pith. With the presence of pith, the stalk appears bulky and
foamy. In order to get it into thinner sections, it is split.
Removal of pith also decreases the chance of getting fungal
infections.
Image 76: dried water hyacinth stalks

Image 77 : water hyacinth weaving unit in Kunjithai

Image 78 water hyacinth basket

Image 79 : water hyacinth hand bag
(undyed, braided )
(weaved in handloom)
Image 81 : water hyacinth box

Image 80 : water hyacinth baskets
(directly pasted straightened stalks)
(dyed, braided)
Image 82 : fungal attack on basket made from water hyacinth

5. Cleaning
PRODUCT RANGE
When the stalks are soaked in water it becomes soft and Water hyacinth is a material which is very hard to work, so
cleaning process is easier in this stage. For cleaning the pith the time taken and size of product directly affects the cost
inside the stalk, first they are split into two. The pith is and size of water hyacinth products. There are rectangular
removed by scrapping using a knife. The pith is soft and is table mats of size 48 x 33cm. Meditation mats are available
easy to scrap out. While scrapping, care should be given for with water hyacinth as it has a foamy and soft structure.
not damaging the thinner stalk sections. Other products are news paper holders, magazine holders,
The Dyeing process is same for Screw pine and water hyacinth seminar files with zip and without zip and market bags. The
which can be referred from above pages (pg no.36) water hyacinth products and its sizes is given below.
LIMITATIONS OF WATER HYACINTH

Fungal attack: Hyacinth products are more prone to fungal
infections than screw pine products. Undyed strips form
fungi faster than the dyed strips. Fungi will be in the form of PRODUCT SIZE
white powder. When the hyacinth products become wet we Table mat rectangular 48 x33
have to dry it properly in sunlight, otherwise the formation Table mat rectangular shaped 48x 33 cm
of fungi occur and destroy the product. Meditation mat 50 x 80 cm
Laborious work: The collection of water hyacinth from the News paper holder 60 x 40 cm
water bodies and the removal of pith from the stalk need Magazine holder H 29 cm W 39cm
well practiced and experienced persons. The pith removal
Letter holder H 35 cm W 15.5 cm
can make crack in the stalk if not done with concentration
and experience. Seminar file without zip H 24 cm l 30 cm
Less stalk length: The stalk lengths of the hyacinths are Seminar file with zip H 24 cm l 30cm
limited. Thus the product range for water hyacinth is limited Market bag H 34 cm
to a few products while using directly the sheet woven in Table 2 : product and size
loom. For making bigger products, a frame should be made
and the water hyacinth should be woven on to that.
Consumption of raw materials: As the maximum width
that can be obtained in water hyacinth is less, more material
is needed as compared to screw pine.
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF KIDS

Gaya: In order to help the women in marketing their products, KIDS
developed a marketing facility so as to provide a reasonable income
and dependable market for these SHG persons. If any charitable
agency is engaged in any kind of business activity, the agency loses its
charitable nature, even though the profit is utilized for charity
purposes. Therefore as per the law, charitable agencies should involve
in such business, even for finding livelihood for poor people.. In the
light of this, it has been decided by the general body to start an
independent limited company, where the producers are the share
holders as well as workers and so it is called as “community owned
company.” This company by the name GAYA (means mother earth)
DEVELOPMENT SOCIETIES AND PROJECT LTD has been
registered under the companies’ act of 1956.
Image 83 : Tags of products on which information about the craft and importance of it is written
The main objective of the company is to conduct, coordinate, Nowadays KIDS participate only in few fairs like Indian
support, promote and establish sustainable business units International Fair, Delhi and Bamboo Fest held in Kerala.
which provides livelihood to the people. Fair trade: Fair trade is a social movement whose goal is to help
Government of India awarded an exclusive and international producers to achieve better trading conditions and to promote
approved trade mark for Gaya. sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment
Sales emporium: To achieve effective marketing for the of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and
natural fibre products of the SHGs, a sales emporium has been environmental standards.
sanctioned at Kottapuram itself. The emporium is a great help Awareness Classes - Classes are conducted in schools to
for the rural artisans, where they can market their products in promote the craft and to make people aware about the importance
an organized manner. The people visiting sales emporium are of this craft and screw pine.
mostly tourists, and also customers ask for products that can Industree craft , Fabindia – KIDS has supplied goods to
be used for gifting. companies like Fabindia and Industree Craft and also exported to
The tags on the product shows the detail of the material with France.
which it is made. This helps the customer understand the need Sargalaya – It is the Kerala Arts and Crafts Village located at
of doing the craft and importance of that in the society. Iringal, Calicut,Kerala. KIDS has a permanent store there and
Exhibitions: Besides the sales emporium the products are also participates in their exhibitions. A lot of products are sold
marketed through exhibitions throughout India. Earlier, KIDS through Sargalaya.
used to participate in exhibitions in order to promote the
products made by artisans, later they started selling products.
Image 84 : Exhibition at Image 85 :Selling products through Image 86 : Gaya label

different places Sargalaya Showing the brand name
COMPARISON OF SCREW PINE AND MARKET STUDY OF SCREW PINE

WATER HYACINTH PRODUCTS PRODUCTS
We have compared a few products made of Screw pine and We visited a few shops in Chandanthope and Kodungallur near to
water hyacinth- the screw pine units. Also we visited Sargalaya .
PRODUCTS SCREW PINE WATER HYACINTH Chandanathope – Visited before attending the cluster.
Table Mat Rs. 125 - 145 Rs.275 – 345
Plastic products are much cheaper then screw pine mats.
Cost of Screw pine mats – Rs. 350 – 1500. For single layer mats
Files Rs. 160 - 200 Rs. 350 – 380
the cost varies from 200 to 350 . For methapaya , double layered
Handbags Rs. 375 - 490 Rs. 525 mats cost varies from Rs 1350 – 1500.
Big Shopper Rs.460 Rs. 570 Mats are not widely in demand.
Table 3 : Comparison between product costs Other products available are of materials like - Cane, Eeta,
Kora Grass .
Compared to screw pine products, water hyacinth products are
more costly. This is due to the following reasons: Even though there is demand, there are no artisans making
products.
Laborious work: The processing of water hyacinth is a
difficult task. It is time consuming and needs experts. The There is lack of raw materials also .The Raw materials and
splitting and cleaning of hyacinth stalks can be done only by products are imported from Tamilnadu
trained workers. The chance of breakage of the stalks is high Elderly people mostly by the mats as they know about the
during these stages. The collection of raw materials is also a material, the quality and the medicinal use of screw pine. The
difficult task. mat is good for Rheumatic Fever and many other diseases. The
Consumption of raw materials: Water hyacinth products methapaya can be used in hot and cold conditions .
require more raw materials. This is due to the limited length of Sargalaya , Iringal, Calicut – Before visiting the cluster
the hyacinth stalks. The cost of bags ranges from Rs.100 – Rs.250
Trained workers: For all the processing steps of water The cost of hyacinth products ranges from Rs.50 –Rs.150
hyacinth products, trained workers are required. The mat More screw pine products are sold than water hyacinth products.
weaving is done in handlooms. For that also trained workers Kodungallur
are needed.
The Cost of plastic mats is Rs.120 and above.
Due to these reasons the cost of water hyacinth products are
high. Water hyacinth products are also prone to fungal attack. The mats are in demand during Jan – Feb and Kumba bharani
Sometimes the presence of white powder anywhere in the season.
product indicates the presence of fungus.
Image 87 : Market Survey at Kodungallur

Image 88: Screw pine mat woven in Kolkata ,Market Survey in Chandanathope
Image 89 : Methapaya which is double layered, Market Survey at Chandanathope

The cost of of screw pine mats(thazha paya)varies from Rs.220 Ergonomics: Traditional method of mat weaving includes the
–Rs.400(single layered) use of both hands and legs. New weavers are also following the
Double layer mats are not available same traditional method. The sitting position may cause health
ANALYSIS problems. They have to sit on the floor for a long time, until the
weaving is over. This induces back pain in the body. There should
Mostly Elderly people buy these screw pine mats. Even though be some methodology to clamp the strips together and carry out
there is a demand in these products, there is lack of labor as they weaving so they could stop in between take some rest and carry
are paid less. The cost of methapaya is very high. The younger on with that.
generation does not know the material, the importance of the
craft and the advantages of using screw pine mats. Now there are Low wages: Although they have to work for 1-2 days for
raw materials and mats imported from other states like weaving one mat, they are getting very less wages. Making of a
Tamilnadu and are sold at cheaper rate than the locally product includes so many steps. The cost gets divided between
available.Plastic mats has been a great competition to the screw the raw material collectors, the artisans working on dyeing it,
pine mats they are available at low cost. and finally the weavers and product making section. So finally the
amount that each artisan gets is less. An artisan gets Rs.150 for
Screwpine and water hyacinth products are also sold seasonally in making the tablemat ( Rs.50 for each mat). They make maximum
places like Sargalaya, fairs and exhibitions take place during of three finished tablemats a day while she is paid more in
festivals like onam, vishu, christamas etc. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. So people prefer
In Kodungallur, mats are sold mostly during January- February going for that job than this.. This is affecting the number of
as it is time when temple festivities happen. Similarly during labours. Eventhough the income is less they work in this craft
Kumba bharani , there is great flow of pilgrims and more due to their personal likings towards the craft, they could relax
demand for mats. Other products are not available in the local and work under a roof, does not have to work in the sun and also
market. they could meet a lot of people and interact with them.
PROBLEMS FACED BY SCREW PINE AND Lack of Education – The artisans were not well educated ,
hence people used to exploit them in the earlier days. Due to this,
WATER HYACINTH CRAFT ARTISANS they have faced a lot of problems. The artisans did not have a
Time required in mastering the craft: The mat weaving process is proper shelter, not even enough food to survive on. Financially
time consuming and it is difficult to complete one mat in a day. they were backward. Even though now the situation is better, the
Well experienced weavers take 1-2 days for one mat. The speed maximum education they have is 10th class. They are artisans not
can be achieved only by practice. Practice only comes through even educated till 10th. class. They are artisans not even educated
experience. All the artisans are very skilled and trained well they till 10th.
could make anything and everything with their craft inputs .
Image 90 : Woman artisan splicing the screw pine strips

Lacks of Labour - As the new generation is interested more in CONCLUSION

white collar jobs and are well educated, they tend to take up
The 3 weeks of Environmental Exposure has been an
better jobs. Also due less income , the existing artisans are going
interesting journey throughout. Learning about a traditional
for better jobs with better pay.
craft is always interesting as it tells us about a lot of stories that
happened in the past. The documentation has helped us in
understanding the past, present and future of the craft and the
FUTURE OF THIS CRAFT different factors which influenced the craft. KIDS, the NGO we
visited, had a lot of programmes in which Natural Fibre craft
Even though there is lack of labor and low wages, the demand was an important one. In a society that always is curious to
for the products made of the screw pine and water hyacinth craft know about new things, there is always a demand for creative
is high. There is a market but due the low wages the people works. The main problems faced by the artisan community are
coming into this craft has decreased. These fibres can be mixed low wages and lack of labour. Still the demand for such
with other fibres like bamboo etc, this helps to reduce the ecofriendly products would be there. The reality is always
limitations of screw pine and water hyacinth. In order to compete different from different unless we go deep into the scenario.
with the future market, the artisans should be aware of the new New generation is not coming forward for this craft. The craft
trends in lifestyles, color trends etc. They should be properly needs technological support and it will help in increasing the
guided and given expert trainings. The Product range they have number of artisans
is being followed for more than 10 years. More explorations
should be carried out in the field of dyeing and product making.
Different properties of the plant should be explored like the
medicinal properties the screw pine. These properties can be
incorporated into the products which are made.
GLOSSARY
[1]Monocot: group includes the grasses, lilies, orchids [14]Stolon : a shoot that grows along the ground and
and palms produces roots at its nodes
[15]Prophyll : frequently specialised or reduced leaf
[2]Dioeciously: plants with male and female parts that produced at the first node of a new shoot
are produced on different plants
[16]Rosette: a plant growth form in which the plant grows
[3] Bract – leaf like structure from the axil out of outward in all directions for a short distance, producing
which a stalk of a flower arises a small round shape
[4]Spadice –a fleshy spike with reduced flowers [17]Petiole : stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem
[5] Stamen –the structure in a flower that produces [18]Isthmus : narrow part connecting two larger
pollen, typically consisting of an anther and a structures
filament [19]Stipule :
one of a pair of lateral appendages, often leaflike, at
[6] Aphrodisiac : a food, drink, or other thing that the base of a leafpetiole in many plants.
stimulates sexual desire
[20]Lacunate : An unfilled space or interval; a gap
[7]Carminative:a drug causing expulsion of gas from [21]Adventitious : developing from an unusual place
the stomach or bowel
[22]Anthocyanin : any of a class of water-
[8]Abortifacient : soluble pigments that give flowers the colorsrangin
a drug or device used to cause abortion g from red to blue.
[9]Splotch : irregular shaped spot or stain [23]Peduncle : axis of an inflorescence
[10]Stoloniferous : producing stolons [24]Perianth : the sterile parts of a flower
[11]Rhizome : a horizontal, underground stem of [25]Tepal : one of the component parts of the perianth
some plants that sends out roots and shoots from [26]Anther : the pollen bearing part of stamen of a
its nodes flower
[12]internode: : [27]Hypanthium : the bowl shaped part of a flower on
a part or space between two nodes, knots, or joints, which the sepals, petals, and stamens are borne
as the portion of a plant stem between two nodes.
[13]Nodes : a knot, knob or swelling
REFERENCES
• http://drdachamba.org/schemes/SHGs/main.htm • The Hindu, August 5, 2015,

• handicrafts.nic.in/ahvy/ahvyscheme.doc http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/ecofrien
• http://www.biodiversityofindia.org/index.php?title=Why_th dly-way-of-treating-water-in-puducherry-
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Insight Screwpine and Water Hyacinth

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Insight Screwpine and Water Hyacinth

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INSIGHT

Looking Beyond Traditions

KRISHNENDHU A K MADHURI MENON

02 INTRODUCTION 42 PRODUCT RANGE FOR SCREW PINE

Image 1 : women artisan weaving traditional screw pine mat

Image 2 : formation of SHG groups

Image 3 : Kodungallur Bhagavathi

The screw pine craft center we visited was located at

Image 4 : Kottapuram backwaters

Kottapuram as the name suggest it means Kota(Fort) and

The market shows the combination of many cultures of the

Kottapuram Integrated Development Society, Kottapuram is the

Image 5 : Kottapuram Integrated Development Society

Handicrafts constitute a major part of the unorganized sector in

problems through self-help and mutual help. The SHG promotes

Image 7 : Book published by KIDS on the

The artisans used to do this due to their poor conditions, in order

Image 8 : dried screw pine rolls

Image 9 : Muziris Sales Emporium, Kottapuram

Image 10 : Craft Museum

EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT (ETP)

Image 14 : artisan weaving water hyacinth mat in handloom, Kunjithai

Image 15 : Pandanus Tectorius seen in Hawaii

PANDANUS - AROUND THE WORLD

Screw pine is a plant which comes under Pandanus genus. The

Image 16 : Pandanus Amaryllifolius Image 17 : Kaithapoo

Image 18 : screw pine seen in Kodungallur

Image 19 : screw pine roots Image 21 : spiral screw shaped arrangement of

SCREW PINE CRAFT IN KIDS

Screw pine mat weaving is an ancient craft. KIDS brought

Image 22 : Tools used in product making

Image 23 : collection of leaves Image 26 : hexagonal rolls called “madi”

Image 32 : Placing Warp and Weft

Image 31 : Straightening the screw pine

The edges of the mat are locked by vilumbhu neyyal. Vilumbhu

Image 40 : Tea Coasters Image 41 : Fruit Bag

PRODUCT RANGE PRODUCT SIZE

Image 42 : Fruit Baskets Image 43 : Tea Coasters Image 44 : Sling Bags

Image 45 : Some of the Screw pine Products

Image 46 : Pen holders

LIMITATIONS OF SCREW PINE:

Customization limited: Traditionally plain weave is done and it

Image 48 : Production unit of Thalayolaparambu

Image 49 : Leveling machine

Image 50: Edge cutting machine Image 51 : Driling machine

Image 52 : sewing machine

Image 53 : splitting machine Image 54 : Dye bath

Image 55 : Products of Thalayolaparambu

Image 58 : big shopper and hand bags made in Thalayolaparambu

Image 59 : water hyacinth imfestation in Kuttanad

Water hyacinth (Kulavaazha, Eichhornia Crassipes) belongs to

Image 60 : Leaf of a water hyacinth

Hyacinth originated in the Amazon basin and it was being

Image 62 : The spongy petiole of water hyacinth

of Brahmaputra river is heavily infested with this weed. Water PROBLEMS

Image 68 : Removing Water Hyacinth manually in Lake Victoria

Image 70 : Water hyacinth mats

KIDS AND WATER HYACINTH

KIDS started the initiative of using water hyacinth in order to

Image 71: Kuttanad Vikasana Samithy,, Alappuzha

Advantages of Using Water Hyacinth shoppers.

Image 74 : dried stalks Image 75 : Splitting of the stalk

through which they understood that water hyacinth absorbs PROCESSING

Image 76: dried water hyacinth stalks